Political terms like liberal or conservative; Democrat or Republican come preloaded with definitions that define the holder of that identity. These definitions can become so defining and polarizing that people will find themselves in an "Us" vs. "Them" mentality. In this ever-changing political landscape I find myself uncertain for whom to support and where to align my political allegiance.
If you, like me, are confused with the identity politics I have found a concept that sheds light on the real issues that face society today. It finally dawned on me the wrong questions were being asked. The question is not should you support Republicans or Democrats or whether or not a single issue should decided where you stand politically. The question that should be asked is do you want equality in opportunity or equality of outcome. This is the premise that lies at the heart of any argument and once you know where you stand on this, you will know where you should stand on most everything else.
STRIVE TO BE LIKE STEEMIT
Steemit for example, is an exemplary example of equality of opportunity. Unlike YouTube, a goliath in social media. Everyone on Steemit has the same opportunity; to be seen and heard as everyone else. If you are thinking the whales have all the power and are seen and heard more, than you would be wrong. While it is true they have more influence on the platform. Fundamentally, there is nothing stopping any of us plankton from investing into Steemit and becoming a whale ourselves. YouTube is just the opposite. On YouTube's platform a channel can be forced into obscurity for holding views different from that of the YouTube hierarchy. If you support Steemit on a fundamental level, than fundamentally, other topics should be made more clear.
MEN VS. WOMEN
Equality of opportunity of course can be applied everywhere, not just in social media. Most activist groups today seem to have lost sight of what equality really means. When the views of a group are heard by the loudest members a movement can easily devolve into an extremist iteration of its former self. Take the current wave of feminism for example. They seem to view men and women as this dichotomy where men have the advantage over all things and women need to fight the oppressor and ultimately reign supreme. The problem with this: one most women probably will disagree and have completely healthy relationships with men, and two, that attitude is not navigating feminism to its goal of fostering equality between the sex's. Take for instance one of their main talking points; equal pay for equal work. 70 cents to a dollar is so wide-spread through the collective media the concept has taken route as a fact for many people. Even Barack Obama the President of the United States would quote it. The only way for the "Pay Gap" to close is to overcompensate women for the work they do now so it will average out for when they can not, or choose not to work later. This is another example of an outcome taking presidente over the opportunity. Unless more reasonable voices are heard it will be the perception of equality that is persuade by feminist.
BLACK VS. WHITE
Black Lives Matter is an organization that is bringing awareness to police brutality against the African-American community. While this goal seems like a noble cause the movement is misguided. Organizers and participants of the event clearly appear to be looking for revenge against "white" cops rather than looking to bring justice to individuals. Even in situations where the officers in question are clearly defending their own lives, BLM will rally and become violent in order to move a naritive forward. Black Lives Matter is another example of equality of outcome. Reparations are sought for past injustices. This is a form of affirmative action that exemplifies outcomes not opportunity. The lack of support for everyone is why one should oppose BLM.
The social issues that I have listed above are just examples of issues that our society faces and how the concept of opportunity vs. outcome could be applied. This concept is not restricted to a social political sphere. Even when it comes down to government regulations or bills up for debate, the question should be; does this offer the same opportunity for everyone?
DEBATE
Do you disagree with me? Excellent, let's change my mind by having a civil and productive conversation in the comment section below. If you would like to continue getting views from a more nuanced perspective please consider following me 